Vertical job advertising

Vertical advertising. I just stumbled upon The Problogger Job Board. They advertise it as such: post a job ad, for 30 days, at only $50.

People that visit the Problogger website, or job board, are definitely bloggers. Visiting the latter, means they’ve bought the hype that they can be a professional blogger, and make a living out of it. So what better way to hire journalists. Professional bloggers are no different to writers in a newspaper, magazine, and so forth. Turnaround times are quicker, the idea of formatting is probably a plus, but generally you’re a writer.

The FAQ lists the 37signals Job Board – $300 for 30 days. They’re a company that came to popularity thanks to a good blog, and Ruby on Rails. People that read the 37signals blog are probably programmers and developers that have an interest in cutting edge technology, are ready to improve, and possibly the cream of the crop. Or at least thats what they want you to believe. 37signals also does the ultimate geek thing: their job board has an RSS feed. And an amazing live search. And if you’re a contract killer just up for a contract, there’s always the Gig Board.

All this made me want to check out Joel on Software’s Jobs page. After all, thats another popular blog, and when you read the RSS feed, you get thrown ads about job offers. Joel’s demands are greater – USD$350 for 21 days. There’s even a rationale as to why 21 days, and he makes The Fog Creek Promise – unsatisfied with applicants, get a refund. The Jobs page also has an RSS feed. And they require the company name – talent have a right to know whom they’re going to work for.

So if its not been obvious, here’s the pattern – write amazing content for your readership, get them hooked, and tell advertisers only the best read your writing. Then, sell advertising (in the form of job ads). Joel/Fog Creek are bold – they even offer a refund.

MySQL have had a jobs forum for ages. It is advertised as a “forum for companies looking to hire MySQL talent”. It contains a hodgepodge of people looking for work, and people offering work. Nothing ever expires, there is no barrier to entry (its completely free to make a posting), there is an RSS feed, and the job ad itself, has “no format”. Do you think the MySQL Jobs forum should change? Should there be a barrier to entry – a simple charge, but a guarantee of better applicants? Requirements can be made clearer, there could be better search, and it probably should not be a forum, per se. Would you pay, to have an ad for 21-30 days, to hire top MySQL talent?